LeBron James running away? He's going all in on Curry.

The morning after the Cleveland Cavaliers' narrow victory over the Toronto Raptors in their opening game, in the team's video analysis room.

Although last night's opening victory plunged the entire city into a long-awaited celebration, the atmosphere within the team was not as relaxed as outsiders might imagine.

On the huge projection screen, several key rounds of the fierce battle between the two sides in the fourth quarter of last night were being replayed repeatedly.

"stop!"

Su Yang sat at the head of the long table and pressed the pause button on the remote control.

The image freezes on the moment when Stephen Curry is double-teamed by two Raptors players and struggles to pass the ball through the gaps between them.

"We won last night's game and played the team basketball we wanted, which is great."

Su Yang glanced around at head coach Byron Scott and general manager Grant sitting on either side of him. "However, the problems that have been exposed are equally fatal."

"Look at Stephen's body language in the fourth quarter," Su Yang pointed to a close-up shot of Curry slightly out of breath on the screen. "He scored 32 points and dished out 7 assists. The stats sound impressive, but have you considered that almost every one of his assists came from exhausting off-ball movement or a forced drive followed by a pass?"

Coach Scott nodded, his expression grave. "Yes, boss. The Raptors increased their defensive pressure on Stephen in the second half. Once Marc Gasol isn't at the high post to receive the ball, the pressure on Stephen to control the ball increases exponentially. He has to both tear apart the defense to score and also connect with his teammates, which drains his energy very quickly."

"This is the crux of the problem."

"Stephen is a historic finisher and playmaker, but he can't do everything himself. In future high-intensity games, if he exhausts himself too early by connecting the team, he'll fall silent in crucial moments!"

"We need more ball-handling options to relieve him of the playmaking burden."

Su Yang drew a circle in his notebook: "Currently, Marc Gasol's high post playmaking can alleviate some of the burden, but it's not enough. We must add a second ball-handler on the wings or in the backcourt who can orchestrate the offense and connect the team. This is also a key direction for our future trades or development."

Grant quickly jotted down his boss's instructions.

"In addition, there is one more instruction, to be executed immediately starting today's training."

"To protect the players' health, from now on, we will fully adopt Gregg Popovich's system for managing rest and playing time for the San Antonio Spurs!"

"Set an inviolable red line for Stephen, Mark, and every future core player—during the regular season, everyone's playing time per game is limited to 35 minutes!"

"35 minutes?!" Scott was stunned. "Boss, Stephen played almost 40 minutes last night! If we're in a close game, benching our hot-playing star player risks losing the game!"

"Losing one or two regular season games is much better than having a key player rupture their Achilles tendon or suffer a season-ending knee injury in the playoffs!"

Su Yang's tone was firm: "Don't sacrifice the future for short-term gains. After 35 minutes, no matter how intense the game is, you must be substituted and rested! Health is the only capital this team can build a dynasty on!"

Scott could only nod in agreement in the face of Su Yang's assertiveness. In this team where the owner was also the tactical mastermind, he, as the head coach, was more like a clock-in employee simply following tactical discipline.

"Actually, when it comes to health and physical fitness, we should also thank this year's high-profile labor dispute."

In the summer of 2011, the NBA experienced a historic lockout due to labor negotiations.

The league did not reach an agreement until the end of November, which greatly compressed the new season to 66 games, resulting in a grueling "back-to-back" schedule that caused complaints from all teams.

But this shutdown is a disaster for other teams that are used to the old rhythm, but for this Cavaliers team, which is almost a completely new team and urgently needs to work on its tactics, it is a godsend!

The long hiatus gave Su Yang ample time to gather the players in Cleveland under the guise of a "private training camp" for intensive three-point shooting training.

Without that extra month or two, these rough guys who were used to the traditional style of play would never have been able to put up such a terrifying 16 three-pointers in the opening game!

"By the way, how's Kawhi's shooting practice going?" Su Yang asked casually.

"The progress is obvious." Scott flipped through the training report.

"Coach Chip made some minor adjustments to his shooting mechanism, which improved his accuracy considerably. However... the kid's hand shape is still a bit stiff, and his shooting motion looks somewhat robotic. He needs a lot of practice to develop muscle memory."

"No rush, take it slow. As long as he can contribute on the defensive end and make open three-pointers, the goal for the first stage will be achieved."

……

With the opening game victory, the NBA's unpredictable 66-game regular season has begun to move forward steadily and rapidly.

The American sports media, who were initially waiting to see the Cavaliers' true colors revealed, were instead stunned by the team's fighting spirit over the next two weeks, instead of witnessing a losing streak.

With Su Yang's absolute reliance on three-pointers and strict protection of his 35-minute playing time, the team is well-positioned to implement this strategy.

This underdog Cavaliers team has unleashed a three-point storm that has swept across the Eastern Conference!

The Splash Brothers' early emergence, the playmaking and spacing created by the twin towers in the paint, and the relentless, tenacious defense of the forwards caused many traditional powerhouses, who were still finding their rhythm, a lot of trouble.

Time flew by, and the first ten games of the season came to an end.

The league standings have been updated, and the Eastern Conference rankings are a complete surprise!

Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls, Philadelphia 76ers, and... Cleveland Cavaliers!

These four teams are tied for first place in the Eastern Conference with an impressive record of 8 wins and 2 losses!

"An incredible miracle! The Cleveland Cavaliers didn't choose to tank; they started the season as the top team in the Eastern Conference with a group of minimum-salary players and rookies!"

Is Su Yang's "trust in the process" really some kind of high-level basketball philosophy?

"Stephen Curry is currently averaging 4.2 three-pointers per game, leading the entire league! He's dominating the game in a whole new way!"

The entire American basketball community was in an uproar.

The Cavaliers' dark horse performance has given a resounding rebuttal to those experts who mocked them for abandoning Kyrie Irving and superstar basketball.

At this time, the media reporters naturally wouldn't let go of the person who most liked to ridicule the Cavaliers.

Miami, outside the Miami Heat training facility.

LeBron James, who had just led his team to an 8-2 record, was surrounded by a group of reporters holding microphones after practice.

"LeBron! The Cavaliers have started the season with an 8-2 record, currently tied for first place in the East with the Heat. Did this surprise you? Do you still think the Cavaliers made a stupid decision to give up on Irving?" a Fox Sports reporter asked loudly.

Upon hearing the words "Cavaliers" and "8 wins and 2 losses," James's smiling face instantly fell.

He never imagined that Cleveland, the city that lost him, the ruins he mocked for only being able to compete for last place, could achieve the same record as him with a skinny defender who had a problem with his ankle!

This made him feel inexplicably irritated, and even a little bit jealous.

"Unexpected? No, it's nothing special."

James composed himself, crossed his arms, and tried to appear disdainful and arrogant.

"The NBA regular season is a long marathon. Running fast in the first 100 meters of a marathon doesn't mean you'll win the game. It's just a good start, and that doesn't prove anything."

"There's too much hype in the regular season records. Some teams can indeed steal a few wins with their unpredictable and bizarre tactics. But once other teams figure out their strategies, they'll fall back to rock bottom."

"Don't compare them to the Heat."

James left with a meaningful remark before turning and walking toward his luxury car.

"The regular season is just a warm-up; the playoffs are the real stage. Come May, you'll see that only true superstars can dominate this league!"